More on implant registries

[Guest guest]

My goodness, here we have another registry....Never knew about this one,or any of the others, did you guys? Somehow, it seems to me that if you have alot of little registries dancing about, it is going to be hard to get the whole picture, isn't it? And look at the date on this one! 1992! Gee, so long ago and nobody seemed to know about it. Sounds like poor execution to me. Do you think they really want to know? http://www.pcipr.com/clients/casehistories/hcnfp_0012.htm International Breast Implant Registry Established For Women When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for a voluntary moratorium on silicone gel-filled breast implants on January 6, 1992, nearly 2 million women throughout North America were left to wonder about the safety of their breast implants. The Medic Alert Foundation responded to those women by establishing the International Breast Implant Registry. Within three weeks of the FDA announcement, Medic Alert Foundation established the International Breast Implant Registry, and through a public relations program developed with PCI, made women with breast implants aware of the registry and its services. Since breast implants are tracked by neither the FDA nor manufacturers, no record exists of women who have breast implants or how these women can be contacted. Consumer advocacy organizations and the American Medical Association were calling for a registry to help

women with breast implants and help respond to mounting concerns and public attention to possible health risks associated with silicone gel-filled breast implants. With less than two weeks to plan, develop and announce the new registry, a national press conference was determined to be the best launch event, followed by comprehensive contact with print and electronic media. The program was launched at a press conference in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 1992. Before the launch, two spokespersons were identified and provided with media coaching: a physician/director of a cancer research center and a registered nurse who had silicone gel-filled breast implants after surgery for cancer. Advocating registration for peace of mind, the nurse spokesperson was one of the first women to join the International Breast Implant Registry. The program goal was to

raise awareness of the registry and encourage women to register so they could be linked with the most current information on breast implants and any important health and safety information announced by the FDA or breast implant manufacturers. The program objectives were: Announce the establishment of the breast implant registry through a national press conference, including media relations in the United States and Canada. Create awareness of the registry and its services among women with breast implants. Register breast implant wearers so that future information can be easily communicated. Increase understanding of the registry with influence groups, including plastic surgeons, FDA officials and policy makers. The target audiences for raising awareness of the new registry service were: women with breast implants, physicians and plastic surgeons who have patients with breast implants, and officials who are establishing policies and regulations regarding issues surrounding breast implants. The public campaign included a national media relations program launched with a Washington, D.C., press conference. Immediately following the press conference, sound bites from the press conference and b-roll were distributed via national satellite, and an hour later, registry spokespersons participated in interactive satellite interviews with television stations across the country. Preparations for the media campaign included: identifying and training spokespersons; creating a 16-page public education booklet title Breast Implant Facts; and coordinating with talk-show host who has breast implants and dedicated several shows to the topic. The physician campaign included preparing and mailing information kits to plastic surgeons, including materials about the implant registry services, commonly asked questions and

answers on breast implants, an offer for additional copies of the Breast Implant Facts brochure for patients, and a poster with the registry's toll-free telephone number. It also included placement of registry information in the news columns of medical trade media. Once the registry opened, additional tactics were used to reach public policy makers. These tactics included preparing Medic Alert's testimony before a FDA advisory committee explaining patient response to the registry; communicating with FDA officials regarding implant tracking regulations; and placing implant registry stories with government media including the Gray Sheet and Pink Sheet. Interest in the registry was immediate, and women who have contacted or joined the International Breast Implant Registry have received valuable information about their implants and about

additional resources available to them if they have specific concerns about their implants or if they want additional information about support groups. The scope of the communications program's success can be summarized as follows: More than 42.3 million audience impressions were achieved through newspaper, television and radio coverage for the registry. More than 3,000 women from throughout North America called the toll-free number in the first 24 hours after the press conference announcing the registry. Nearly 16,000 women contacted the registry in the first three weeks it was available. Callers were surveyed regarding their concerns about breast implants and the information was integrated into testimony to an FDA advisory committee on implants. Approximately 37,000 people called the International Breast Implant Registry seeking information about the service in its first year. The International Breast Implant Registry

communications program was recognized by peers in the public relations industry with a Certificate of Excellence from the 1993 Creativity in Public Relations Awards (CIPRA) competition.

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